If Cornered, Scream
by Emerald7
Summary: ~COMPLETE!!~*MINI-FIC*. DARK b/v. When you love someone, a vow is taken to protect your love from any danger. What if you cannot uphold that vow? Furthermore, what if you cannot protect them from even yourself?
1. The Horror Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I associated with Dragonball Z or any of it's franchise. If I was, maybe I would not be as broke as I am. However, I do own this story and the fake Vegeta, so take them and feel the wrath of Emerald!!  
  
***Alright, yes, yes, I know I should probably be working on the next chapter of "Destined to Love" right now, but I wrote this story in a notebook a few months ago and something's been nagging me to type it out. Hope you enjoy!***  
  
!!!!!WARNING!!!!!! This story contains dark themes, including severe beatings and hints of rape. If either offends you, DO NOT READ!!  
  
Bulma sat in her rocking chair, quietly humming to herself as she reread her favorite book, the cackling and popping sound of the fire in the background. Minutes later, she sighed to herself as she put the book down.  
  
"What a great book," she commented to herself as she stood up and yawned. As she looked around, Bulma could not help but frown a little. Trunks was staying at the Son's house for the night, and Vegeta was…well, actually, Bulma was not really sure just where Vegeta was exactly. 'Probably off training again,' she remarked to herself. Wherever he was, Bulma was home alone and she hated it. She loved being busy and being surrounded by people, not alone in her ridiculously large house.   
  
  
  
Another reason why Bulma hated being alone was because it meant that Vegeta wasn't there. True, she was used to Vegeta leaving whenever he please for however long he pleased, but Bulma still felt like a part of her was missing whenever he wasn't with her. She loved him more than words could say, and couldn't imagine life without him.  
  
Yawning again, Bulma decided to head up to bed. It was not until she was halfway up the stairs that she realized she had left the lamp on. Cursing, she turned around to go back down only to smack into what felt like a steel wall. Startled, she looked to stare into the smirking face of her prince. Grinning, Bulma wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss.  
  
"I was wondering when you might be coming up,…" she said seductively before gasping when his arms came around her in a not too gentle hold.   
  
  
  
"Vegeta-" her protest was quickly swallowed as his lips came crashing down onto hers in an almost brutalizing fashion. Bulma winced slightly as she debated whether or not to kiss back. Something was wrong about this kiss. Vegeta was almost never this demanding or harsh, at least not at first. His kisses always started off slow, sensual, and teasing, leaving her begging for more. And even when he did demand, it was never brutal. Vegeta more or less made love to her mouth; this felt like it was being raped.  
  
Finally, Bulma was able to pull her face back. As she gasped for breath, she looked into his eyes in question.  
  
"Vegeta, what – " she broke off again as she looked backed into his eyes. Something was wrong; this wasn't Vegeta. These eyes were full of evil and wickedness.  
  
Who are you?" Bulma demanded as she tried to pull away, only to succeed in having herself squeezed even more. She let out a whimper of pain as 'Vegeta' answered,  
  
"Why, I am your husband, babe. Who else would I be?" Bulma's predictions were confirmed as soon as his mouth opened. First, the voice sounded almost robotic. Second, Vegeta didn't talk like that; he always said "mate," not "husband," and he never called her "babe".   
  
"No you're not, let go of me! No one treats me this way!" Bulma struggled wildly to get away, now scared to death. She didn't know who this was or how he made himself look identical to Vegeta, but Bulma could sense that he was dangerous.   
  
The imposter merely laughed at Bulma's weak struggles; that is, until her struggling caused her to almost hurt a certain part of his anatomy. He suddenly went very still. Bulma used this opportunity to shove him as hard as she could; his lack of grip on her caused her to tumble down the stairs. Seeing her possibly only hope for escape, Bulma attempted to jump over him and make a mad dash for the door. Her chances dimmed when her foot was caught and she was slammed down into the ground, her nose breaking with the rough contact of the ground. A cry of pain escaped her as blood streamed down her face.  
  
Before Bulma could even begin to move, he quickly reached over and grabbed onto her hair, yanking her head back with a vengeance and forcing her to stand up. As he held her up by her blue locks with one hand, he used his free hand to deliver a full force blow to her stomach. Bulma was too weak and in too much pain to do anything but wrap her arms around her stomach and fall to her knees, sounds of pain escaping her mouth.   
  
With a satisfied smirk, he bent down and forced her to look at him.   
  
"Will you behave now?" He asked smugly. With tears still running down her face and trembling, Bulma looked at him with hatred and pain in her eyes before spitting blood onto his face. She knew that meant her doom, but she couldn't just roll over and let him do this to her. His face clouded over before he once again grabbed her hair, this time dragging her up the stairs. Despite her obvious pain, Bulma screamed and thrashed anew, yet to no avail. She found herself dragged up the stairs and into her bedroom – the bedroom she shared with Vegeta. His lingering scent in the room overwhelmed her as his imposter brought her to face him again.   
  
  
  
"No!" she screamed once again desperate to get away from him. With new anger surging through his veins, he threw her into the wall, causing an indentation in the wall. Whimpering, Bulma let herself slide down the wall, leaving a streak of red. She was concentrating on remaining conscious so hard that she failed to notice that he had left the room. Too late, she realized, as he appeared back in front of her. Lifting her up by the front of her shirt, he threw her onto the bed. She landed with a bounce and just lay there, too weak to do anything. Producing a roll of duct tape from behind his back, he quickly tied her arms and legs to the bedpost, leaving her spread eagle.   
  
"Why?" Bulma managed to croak out. "Why are you doing this?"   
  
"You are the one weakness to Vegeta," he said softly in a voice dripping with hatred. "Plus, I want you. I have always wanted you, and deep down, I know you want me too."  
  
Bulma choked, unable to believe what she was hearing.  
  
"I would rather die a thousand torturous deaths then want an evil snake like you!" Although she tried to make it sound alive with authority, Bulma's voice was webbed with pain and hurt. His face twisted in anger as her words sunk in.   
  
"I didn't want to you hurt too much more, princess. I had hoped to make this an enjoyable experience for you as well. Now, you little bitch, you will know what real pain is!" Bulma's eyes went wide in mortal fear as he tore her clothes off.  
  
"Vegeta…." She whispered as he started to crawl on top of her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Vegeta…."  
  
  
  
Vegeta froze in mid flight as a pathetically weak cry ricocheted through his head. He immediately recognized it as his mate's voice, but he also realized that it was full of pain.  
  
"Onna!" Vegeta desperately tried to reach her through their bond. When he heard and felt nothing but emptiness, he began to worry. It wasn't until then that he felt the pain she was feeling rush into him. He had to gasp and grab his stomach at the amount of pain that he was feeling.  
  
"Onna!!" Vegeta cried again. "Who's hurting you? What's wrong?!" Again, he received nothing but eerie silence. Wasting no time, he turned around and flew as fast as he could towards Capsule Corporations.  
  
  
  
'Where's the clown Kakarrot and his instant transmission when you need him?!'  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, the domes of Capsule Corp. finally loomed into sight. Landing on the ground, Vegeta burst through the front door in a desperate search for his mate. His blood ran cold as he saw random things thrown about the room and bloodstains on the ground   
  
"WOMAN!!!!!!"   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Bulma's eyes flew open as she heard Vegeta's bellow. Panicked, she bolted up, realizing that she must have blacked out at some point and her bonds had been cut. Pain racked through her body as she moved but she didn't care.  
  
'He's back, oh God no! Please God help me!' In pure panic, Bulma stumbled into the bathroom. She climbed into the bathtub and closed the shower curtain before crawling into a bloody, shaking ball. 'Please, don't let him find me!'   
  
"Bulma!" she heard the voice call out again. Although she should have recognized the voice as the real Vegeta's, she was too terrified. She rested her head on her bloody, trembling arms as more tours poured out of her eyes and her shaking increased.   
  
'Maybe he won't find me. Maybe he'll just go away!' Bulma tried to reassure herself over and over again, yet all hope of that happening was erased as she heard the bathroom door open followed by the sound of the shower curtain being shoved aside.  
  
Vegeta was frozen in place for a few seconds at the sight that lay before him. He had though that she would be in bad shape when he saw the condition that their bedroom was in, but nothing could have prepared him for this.   
  
  
  
His mate, his sweet, gentle, little mate, was curled into the far corner of the bathtub as if she was trying to hide from someone. She was naked with bruises and dried blood all over her body as fresh blood continued to trickle from various wounds; her hair was matted with it. Vegeta could feel the anger and rage start to swell up inside of him. Whoever did this to her was going to pay.   
  
Silently, Vegeta climbed into the tub and kneeled in front of her. As gently as he could, he took Bulma's chin and tilted her face up towards his. He took a sharp intake of breath as he stared at her.   
  
Like the rest of her body, her face was covered in blood, both wet and dry, and alive with bruises. One eye was swollen shut and her upper lip was busted open. What infuriated him the most, though, was the look in her eyes. They were full of pain, as could be suspected, as well as suspicion and fear.  
  
She was afraid of him   
  
Fury and hurt seemed to flow heavily throw him then. How could she think that he would hurt her? Even on Namek when they hated each other, he never touched her. Why now?  
  
Bulma tensed as she felt Vegeta touch her. Her heart seemed to stop from fear and she was sure that her eyes were betraying what she felt to him. Was this the real Vegeta? The question was killing her.   
  
"Who did this?" the deep rumble escaped his mouth in a deadly tone that made Bulma shiver. Was he serious? Or was this all a trick? Her heart was pounding and her head felt as if it was about to split. She saw the fury in his eyes that, if this really was her prince of Saiyans, he was furious at her. A sudden feeling of shame overcame Bulma. He must think her weak now; no wonder he looked so bloody mad! The knowledge overwhelmed her and she suddenly could not stand to look at him anymore.   
  
"Stupid baka!" Bulma cried, shoving Vegeta away from her as she stepped out of the tub. "As if you wouldn't know!" Bulma had to bite her lip to keep from crying out with the excruciating pain, but she was desperate to somehow elude him. She stumbled into the bathroom before the pain became just too much and she all but fell into the corner. Less than a second later, Bulma heard and felt Vegeta's hand slam into the walls on either side of her, thus trapping her.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded in a rage-filled voice. Rather than answer or look at him, Bulma buried her face in the corner of the walls. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and wake up from this nightmare; to start the day over, when she woke up in Vegeta's arm, oblivious to anything but her love for him. But that wasn't the case and she was forced to further endure this nightmare from hell.  
  
Frustrated that she wouldn't even look at him let alone answer him, Vegeta grabbed Bulma's wrists and forced her to look at him.  
  
"Answer me," he growled. Still, all that Bulma did was stare at him, her baby blue eyes searching out his onyx orbs. Vegeta couldn't stand the look of sadness and betrayal that flooded her eyes; he wanted the spark of life back. Almost desperate, his hands went from her wrists to gripping her upper arms tightly.  
  
'Damn it, I demand that you answer me!" Immediately after he touched her arms, Bulma began to scream in cry in pain. Realizing what he had done, Vegeta let go. Bulma collapsed into his chest, sobbing and once again coughing up blood. Vegeta stared in horror as the red substance left her lips. All that he wanted to do was comfort her, but he feared that he would end up hurting her. Yet here she was, crying hysterically into the crook of his neck. Slowly and hesitantly, he lightly put his arms around her waist, just enough to hold her but not enough to hurt her. He was startled when he suddenly felt her arms snake around his neck and cling to her. Kissing the side her head, Vegeta rested his head atop Bulma's as he tried to calm her down.  
  
The tears kept coming, no matter how much Bulma tried to stop them. The fear and the pain of everything that had happened in the past hours escaped as she clung to her husband. Now she knew that this really was Vegeta, her Vegeta. Guilt overcame her again, except that this time it was because she doubted him. Pain continued to from her body. Now she wasn't sure if she was still crying from fear and guilt or because of the pain.   
  
Vegeta's heart continued to pound in his chest. He looked calm and collected on the outside while he was going crazy on the inside. He was still terrified of what had happened to her. Dear God, he could have very easily lost her! That thought sent panic and rage through him. He desperately wanted to know who did this to her but he made himself wait until she felt that she was ready.   
  
"Vegeta…." Bulma tried to start but found her voice to be nothing more than a squeak. She swallowed hard before beginning again. "Vegeta…he…..you….he was you…" she let out in a whisper.  
  
Vegeta tensed noticeably. "He was you…." The words echoed through his head. 'No…it can't be…they are all dead! How is this possible?' Questions ran through his mind as he continued to soothe Bulma.  
  
"Shh, it's alright. He's not here now. I won't let anyone hurt you again. Bulma…." Her sobs slowly started to calm down and Vegeta continued to rub her back. Right when he was about to carry her to the bed to let her lie down, he flare in ki caught his attention.  
  
He froze.  
  
He lied to Bulma. The imposter wasn't gone.  
  
He was standing right behind him.  
  
***Mwhahaha….evil cliffy! Good lord, what is with me and morbidly hurting Bulma in my stories? This is the second one! Gah. Well, there should be one more chapter in this story, I was going to make it a one-shot but my wrist is hurting me too much to type anymore. Then I promise I'll work on "Destined to Love"!!! Did you all like this story? Too dark? Too morbid? Let me know! Next chapter out soon (hopefully)!*** 


	2. The Cost of Revenge

Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I associated with Dragonball Z or any of its franchise. If I was, maybe I would not be as broke as I am. I also don't own the original story, "If Cornered, Scream," I am merely borrowing the title. However, I do own this story and the fake Vegeta so take them and feel the wrath of Emerald!!  
  
He could feel him behind him before he turned around. He must have been disguising his ki until it flare a second ago. Vegeta froze for a second before springing into action. In a blink of an eye, he whirled around in a fighting stance, making sure Bulma was well protected behind him.  
  
Years upon years of training to keep a mono face were the only thing that kept him from being visibly awe-struck. For a second or two, Vegeta thought that he was staring into a mirror. The intruder looked exactly like him. Every facial figure was the same, every muscle was the right size; for crying out loud, he even had the scar on his arm that he had received fighting Buu!  
  
"Who are you?" Vegeta asked demandingly. Behind him, he heard Bulma let out a frightened gasp and grip onto his shirt.  
  
The imposter smirked. "Why, I am you, of course? Don't you recognize yourself when you see it?" Now it was Vegeta's turn to smirk.  
  
"Me? Ha! If you were I, my woman would not be clinging to my back in complete utter fear like she is now, and she wouldn't be looking like she just had a spar with that clown Kakarrot." A growl escaped Vegeta's throat as he finished his statement. The imposter, however, just widened his smirk.  
  
"I doubt she would be alive if she sparred that buffoon. No matter, she looks not different than she does when she's used by you!" Vegeta saw red.  
  
"I have never touched her or abused her like this!" Bulma, who was still quivering and cowering behind Vegeta's back, could almost hear the venom spitting out of Vegeta's mouth with every word he spoke. She could also feel him begin to power up.  
  
"The bite mark on her neck would indicate otherwise" Vegeta halfway winced with the knowledge that this stupid idiot obviously did not know about Saiyain mating rituals.  
  
"Who are you?" Vegeta growled again. Deciding it wasn't worth playing this game any longer, the imposter answered,  
  
"My name is Corda. I was once the prince of the planet Cordia, home to the powerful Corjins." He paused, carefully watching Vegeta's face. He could see the struggle going on inside prince Vegeta's head as the name of the planet run a bell in his head.  
  
"Cordia. That name sounds familiar," the prince stated.  
  
"Well it should!" Corda snapped.  
  
"Really? And why is that?" Vegeta could tell his lazy tone was getting to Corda when he saw his eye twitch.  
  
"BECAUSE YOU FUCKING DESTROYED IT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!" Corda calmed down after his outburst, expecting a look of remorse at the least. He received none.  
  
"Ah, yes, now I remember. What's so special about it? I purged thousands if not millions of planets. There was nothing special about yours - it was full of a bunch of blue weaklings!" Vegeta stated matter-of- factly.  
  
Bulma peeked around Vegeta's shoulder to see her attacker and rapist nearly boiling over in anger.  
  
"WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!! THAT WAS MY PLANET!!! I AM THE ONLY SURVIVOR LEFT ON IT BECAUSE YOU FUCKING DESTROYED IT!!! YOU WILL SUFFER GREATLY BEFORE YOU DIE FOR YOUR MISTAKE!!"  
  
After the outburst, Vegeta merely smirked and slowly crouched into a fighting stance.  
  
"You're wrong, you blue clown. I will not be the one to die or suffer. I would've killed you anyways but since you have touched my mate, you will die a slow, torturous death."  
  
Corda seemed to cower slightly, as if somehow knowing of his demise yet not excepting it.  
  
"You and I are alike," he started. "Both of our world's were destroyed by a greater evil and we both sought revenge. Well, you have had your revenge, prince of Vegetasei. Now it is my turn."  
  
Vegeta smirked, "No, we are only alike in the fact we had our planets purged, yet that's where it ends. My revenge was successful when Frieza was destroyed; yours never will be."  
  
"You forget one more similarity, prince," the Corjin smirked. Vegeta raised his eyebrow in question.  
  
"We have both had our share of the blue-haired wench."  
Corda, obviously, was not informed just how possessive Saiyains were of their mates, nor was he informed on not pressing buttons on the Saiyain prince. One minute, Corda was standing with his two feet planted firmly on the ground; the next, he was knocked across the room as the Saiyain prince powered up. Corda's eyes widened in utter surprise - he had not known that the prince had such high power levels.  
  
"YOU DIE NOW!!"  
  
Bulma was thrown against the wall as her husband suddenly powered up to extreme levels. Her head smacked against the wall with a force, causing the room to spin for a few seconds. She shook her head to clear it before her eyes focused on her husband again. He hadn't gone Super Saiyain but he certainly was delivering blow after blow to the prince of Cordia before tossing him out the window and then following after him.  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma painfully got up and staggered to the shattered window, grabbing a blanket from the bed to wrap around her battered nude body. She looked down to see Vegeta showing no mercy to the alien.  
  
"Vegeta!" she cried again, desperately searching for a way down. Oddly enough, after having her life ripped apart by Cordia, being severely beaten up and raped by Cordia, she still didn't want Vegeta to kill him. Maybe it was because it was her nature not to want to see things get hurt, no matter who they are or how evil they were. She was married to a mass murderer for crying out loud! They wouldn't even be in this mess if it weren't for him!  
  
Still, Bulma knew that she couldn't blame Vegeta for all of the purging that he did. He was under the command of Frieza at that point and he had absolutely no control. Still, what she knew he was capable of doing scared her.  
  
"VEGETA!!!" She screamed once again. This time, Vegeta whirled around to look at her. Bulma's breath caught in her throat as she noticed the hatred and anger burning within them. Seeing her in her battered and bruised condition didn't help much either.  
  
Unfortunately, Bulma's distraction hurt Vegeta more than helped him. With his back turned, Corda was able to send an attack at Vegeta, powerful enough to knock him to his knees. Getting up, Vegeta stalked back towards Corda.  
  
"Coming after me was fine, for I have no problem whooping your sorry blue ass back to the galaxies," Vegeta growled, "but you crossed the line when you touched my mate. Be ready to die." With that, Vegeta raised his hand, the palm facing the wide-eyed prince of Corjins.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Goku's head snapped up at the sudden rise in power level. 'That was Vegeta,' he thought worriedly. Chi Chi looked over at her husband, shocked when she saw the amount of worry concentrated on his face.  
  
"Goku, what's the matter?" No answer.  
  
"Goku!!!" Goku blinked.  
  
"Uh, sorry Chi, I've got to go. Vegeta needs me..TRUNKS!!"  
  
Trunks came running in. "Yea, what is it?"  
  
"We need to go," Goku reached for the boy.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You're parents are in trouble."  
  
Chi Chi's mouth dropped open as she tried to ask Goku what kind of trouble Bulma was in, but before she could, Goku and Trunks were gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What the..Dad!" Trunks burrowed his eyebrows in utter confusion as he looked back and forth between his dad that lay on his back in pain and his dad that stood above the other one, an attack forming in his hand. Which one was which?  
  
"Stay back Trunks," both "Vegeta's" said at the same time before turning to look at each other with hate in their eyes.  
  
"I don't get it - which one is my father?" Trunks whimpered.  
  
"I am," both answered once again.  
  
Goku was confused at this point as well. The beaten up Vegeta had a much lower ki level than the other one, but that could have bee because he was so much more beaten up than the other one. Goku didn't know which one was the real one and it was driving him crazy because he couldn't sit back and let the real Vegeta, if that was indeed the real one, be blown to bits by this other one.  
  
A small sound could be heard Goku. Turning around, he visibly blanched with what he saw.  
  
Bulma was standing in the broken window, staring down at the ensuing battle with terrified eyes. Even though she had a blanket wrapped around her, the matted blood in her hair, her swollen eye, the bruises and streaks of blood on her face were still visible. If that was how bad her face was, Goku didn't want to imagine what the rest of her body looked like. Suddenly, it all came together for Goku. Turning back to the fight, Goku calmly said,  
  
"Kill him, Vegeta." Three heads turned towards him, one in confusion, one in shock, and one simply smirking.  
  
"I plan too, Kakarrot," Vegeta said. The other Vegeta, however, was not about to roll over and give up.  
  
"Kakarrot, what are you doing, you old dog? Are you just going to sit back and let this imposter murder me?" he screamed. Goku crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed.  
  
"Yes, because I know that you're not Vegeta." The imposter still would not back down.  
  
"You stupid clown, I think that wench has hit you over the head one too many times with that blasted frying pan of hers!" Goku winced at the reminder of the frying pan.  
  
"I know you're not him for two reasons. One," Goku began, "The real Vegeta would not have demanded that I help him just now; he would have done just the opposite, in fact. And two," Goku pointed behind him at Bulma. "I know that the real Vegeta would NOT have done that to Bulma, even out of anger. A Saiyain is extremely protective of his mate."  
  
Corda seemed to now realize all hope of escape were hopeless. Even as simple-minded as he was, Goku still outsmarted him. Suddenly, Corda became enraged.  
  
"NO! IT'S NOT RIGHT!!!" He screamed, a ki ball forming in his hand. "YOU DESTROYED MY PEOPLE!! YOU DESERVE TO DIE, YOU MONSTER!!!" Vegeta stood calm, the attack in his hand growing larger and larger.  
  
"As I told you before, I purged thousands if races under the work of Frieza. Now shut up and be prepared to welcome death!" With that, he lifted the attack in his hand, screaming,  
  
"BIG BANG ATTACK!!" At the same time he released his attack, Corda released his medium-sized ki ball an instant before being vaporized into nothing but Vegeta's attack. He died half screaming and half cackling. The ki ball came straight at Vegeta. He merely deflected it with the flick of his wrist, sending it higher up behind him, not feeling like destroying it at this point. He stood rooted to the spot, staring at the hole in the ground that was once Corda, trying to control his breathing. The little bastard was gone.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
Bulma's eyes widened as she watched Vegeta deflect the ki ball back towards her. It may have done minor damage to him but it would certainly kill her. She eyed it as it cam closer and closer to her. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Who was he, Vegeta?" Goku asked softly. Vegeta was quiet for a minute before answering.  
  
"Prince Corda from the planet Cordia. I purged his planet while under the rule of Frieza. He somehow survived and came here, determined to seek his revenge on me." Vegeta stopped, clenching his hands into tight fists at his side. "He touched her."  
  
Goku turned to look up at the window again. Bulma was bent over, using the side of the window as support. He figured she was either crying or the pain had become too much for her to handle.  
  
"Go to her," Goku said quietly, "she needs you." Vegeta didn't say anything but he bent his knees and took off to his and Bulma's bedroom window. His eyebrows furrowed as he landed behind his wife. She was almost doubled over, one hand clutching to the side of the window for support; she was crying and Vegeta could her hear wheezing for every breath that she took.  
  
"Onna, it's done with," Vegeta said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder. He expected her to turn around and throw her arms around him in gratitude, but she didn't; in fact, she did nothing.  
  
"Onna?" he said again, this time more determined. "Woman, look at me!" Bulma tried to do just that but her legs gave out on her and she fell forward. She would have fallen straight out the window if Vegeta hadn't grabbed onto her and pulled her back. He wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her back against his chest, allowing her head to fall back against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and she continued to wheeze and cough up blood.  
  
"Bulma, what the hell is going on?" he asked in a rather gentle tone. Bulma's eyes opened and Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat as he stared into them.  
  
Her cerulean blue eyes held nothing but pain and the promise of death in them in their glazed state. She looked at him pleadingly and guilt, as if she felt she was responsible for all of this going under way.  
  
Vegeta felt helpless. She was obviously hurt and in grave pain, but she had so many injuries that he didn't know which one hurt her the most. The shadow of death in her eyes scared the hell out of him as well.  
  
"Bulma." he whispered shakily. Bulma answered him with another racking cough and more wheezing, causing blood to trickle down her chin. Vegeta lifted one of his hands from its spot around her waist to wipe the blood away and froze when he saw his hand. It was covered in deep, dark red, and not just speckles of it. It was as if he had dipped his hand in a bucket of blood. Shocked, Vegeta looked down to where his hand had been, falling back a few steps when he saw it.  
  
The entire front side of her blanket was stained in a red. Vegeta could tell that it was a wound to the stomach because the color of red was deeper there and there seemed to be more of it. Vegeta had to force himself to swallow down his panic and stop his now shallow breathing as he somehow stumbled to the bed, gently laying Bulma down on it. With shaky hands, he grasped the end of the blanket and slowly began to peel it off. He was about to peel that blanket over the wound but Bulma's hand grasped his, forcing him to stop.  
  
"No..*cough* Please, j-just..leave it.." she managed to gasp out. Vegeta leaned over her, putting one hand on either side of her head without putting any weight on her, and stared down into her pain stricken eyes.  
  
"What happened?" He asked softly. One again, her eyes became riddled with guilt as she answered.  
  
"D...don't b-lame your..self." Vegeta's face darkened.  
  
"What are you talking about? What happened?" Bulma avoided his eyes as she answered.  
  
"K..k..Ki ball."  
  
Vegeta immediately began replaying the last part of the fight through his head. Had the bastard thrown a ki ball at her? Yes, he'd thrown a ki ball but it was at Vegeta, not at her. 'But then I deflected it,' Realization sunk in like horror - he had deflected the ki ball and it hit Bulma.  
  
Vegeta suddenly became furious with himself. How could he not have thought before he acted? How could he not have realized? Why didn't he just take the hit or destroy it? It would have done minor damage to him but it could have and was killing her!  
  
Cursing, Vegeta shoved himself up, wanting to distance himself from her. After all, it was his fault that she was dying! He found his movements halted, however, when a small hand weakly grasped his.  
  
"V-Vegeta! *more coughing* It's n-not your..f-fault!" Vegeta stopped but didn't turn around as Bulma struggled to continue. "I f-forgive you..P- please *cough* I n-need..you right..n-now!" When she was done, Bulma again resumed her wheezing and coughing fit. Slowly, Vegeta turned around and met her eyes with his now pain and guilt riddled eyes. He took a seat beside her and forced himself to swallow down the rest of his pride.  
  
"I'm..I'm sorry, Bulma," he spoke softly. In any other circumstance, Bulma would have been overjoyed, but now she lay in took much pain to really even understand what he was saying.  
  
"I love you.." she whispered meekly, her coughing fits now starting to die down as her wheezing and shallow breathing increased. Vegeta leaned over her and took her face in between his hands.  
  
"Onna, listen to me! You will not leave me! I will make amends for what I have done, but do not leave me! Bulma, no!" he screamed even louder when he noticed how her eyes continued to grow dimmer and dimmer. Bending his head down so that his forehead rested on hers and closing his eyes, Vegeta let out an even breath before whispering,  
  
"I cannot live without you." Using all the strength she could muster, Bulma picked up her head and pressed her bloodstained lips against Vegeta's. Even though he didn't feel worthy enough of her love at this point, he kissed her back, pouring his whole heart into it. When her failing lungs, could take no more, she pulled back. Vegeta was silent for a minute before exploding in anger.  
  
"Kami, I stayed on the mud ball that you call a planet for you, I raised a half breed as a son for you, I have endured defeat over defeat for you, and now you think to leave me? No, I won't let you!!" Bulma felt her heart break.  
  
"I'll..I'll always be h-here V-Vegeta, j-just..not.physically."  
  
"Don't give me that bullshit. My father and mother gave it to me and I won't listen to you do the same thing," Vegeta grumbled through clenched teeth. Giving up, Bulma closed her eyes again; they were getting so heavy to keep open.  
  
"Bulma!" she faintly heard Vegeta cry her name. With effort, she opened her eyes again. Everything was becoming so hard to see and hear. Vegeta looked at her with a heart-breaking look.  
  
"H-how much longer?" He asked quietly. Bulma swallowed hard, almost choking on more blood.  
  
"Not much. C-couple of m-minutes." Vegeta closed his eyes against the on rushing pain. He turned away again, trying to block out the sound her struggling for breath.  
  
"Then go. If you're going to fucking die, then just fucking go! I mean it! GO!" Bulma felt her heart ache even more. So this was it, huh? This was how it was going to end, with Vegeta mad at her? Well, it was almost an appropriate ending, since all they really did in life was argue. Closing her eyes once again, Bulma was overwhelmed at the feeling that seemed to swallow her. At least the pain would be over soon. She was focused on the darkness so much that she almost didn't feel Vegeta collect her in his arms and call her name.  
  
"Bulma?" Her eyes opened a slit. "I.."Vegeta cleared his throat and started again.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Bulma felt an overwhelming sense of happiness swell in her heart. He loved her! Of course, she knew that already, but he had never said it! Almost smiling, she closed her eyes, letting the darkness envelope her.  
  
Vegeta stared at his wife as death came to collect her. He knew the instant she died as her body went limp in his arms and she stopped wheezing for breath. He felt numb before pain seared through his body as the result of the broken bond. It was worse than feeling her pain, one inside his heart. She was gone.  
  
A sound that sounded like a sob escaped him as he bent his head over hers, gently rocking her lifeless body. He seemed unless oblivious to the tears that slowly made their way down his cheeks.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
Goku stood in the doorway, dumbstruck as he watched his best friend slip away. He had returned Trunks to his house until Vegeta could clean Bulma up, and returned just in time hear the couples goodbyes. He didn't hear from either of them exactly what happened but he was able to figure it out - the ki ball that Vegeta had deflected hit Bulma. Surprisingly, Goku felt no animosity or anger towards the Saiyain prince, for he knew it was an accident and Vegeta would kill himself over it for the rest of his life. Goku also knew deep down in his heart that Bulma also knew it was an accident and had whole-heartedly forgiven Vegeta.  
  
As Goku watched the man cling to his dead wife, he reached up to wipe away a stray tear. As he stared at the crystalline drop, a sudden thought came to him, almost causing him to fall.  
  
Vegeta said that Corda had come to Earth seeking revenge against Vegeta. Since Vegeta still lived, they assumed his journey had been in vain. Yet Corda had unknowingly hit the prince's weak spot - his mate.  
  
Prince Corda of Cordia had not died in vain after all.  
  
The mighty prince Vegeta of Vegetasei had fallen. The End.  
  
***Good lord, my friggin wrist hurts now! Alright, before you people scream at me, let me give you two options. Although I would rather leave the ending as it is, if enough people complain, I will either (a) write an alternative ending, or (b) write an epilogue of some sort where they're together. No matter what your take on it, for the love of God, please, NO FLAMES!!! Constructive criticism is welcome, however. And thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Please, tell me what you think of this one! I'll try to get working on chapter 11 of "Destined to Love" as soon as I can!*** 


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